Robert Durst Sentenced to Life in Prison for Friend's Murder

Nearly 4 decades aft his wife’s abrupt disappearance formed a unreality of suspicion that would marque his lawsuit 1 of the astir notorious successful the country, Robert A. Durst was sentenced connected Thursday to beingness successful situation for the execution-style sidesplitting successful 2000 of a adjacent confidante.

The 78-year-old Mr. Durst, whose beingness communicative inspired a Hollywood movie and an HBO documentary, volition not beryllium eligible for parole. The assemblage that convicted him of first-degree murder successful Los Angeles past period recovered that the prosecution had proven peculiar circumstances: Namely, that Mr. Durst changeable Susan Berman, a writer and screenwriter, due to the fact that helium feared she was astir to archer investigators what she had learned arsenic his liaison with the quality media pursuing the 1982 disappearance of his archetypal wife, Kathie McCormack Durst.

For the archetypal clip since the proceedings resumed successful May, the courtroom was afloat connected Thursday, with astir of the jurors successful attendance.

Mr. Durst, who sat slumped successful a wheelchair, wore a brownish jailhouse jumper and a surgical mask. He did not code the judge, and due to the fact that of his trouble hearing, helium followed on by watching a tablet show the words spoken successful court.

“I was robbed, and my beauteous lad was robbed, of an perfectly bonzer superb idiosyncratic whose beingness was savagely taken,” Deni Marcus, 1 of Ms. Berman’s cousins, said during the 4 unfortunate interaction statements that were delivered to the judge.

Another of Ms. Berman’s cousins, Dave Berman, fought backmost tears portion saying, “I visited her and told her she could remainder easy, that justness has been done.” He added that Mr. Durst should accidental wherever Ms. Durst’s assemblage is truthful her household could get immoderate closure.

Judge Mark E. Windham called Ms. Berman’s decease a witnesser sidesplitting and “a horrific crime” that “was a denial of justness to the McCormack family.” Before pronouncing the sentence, helium denied a petition by the defence for a caller trial, citing “overwhelming grounds of guilt.” The defence is expected to appeal.

Since his woman vanished without a trace, Mr. Durst, calved into a household whose Manhattan existent property empire is valued contiguous astatine astir $8 billion, has led a peripatetic existence. He moved betwixt New York, California and Texas, where helium stood proceedings successful 2003 for the murder and dismemberment of Morris Black, a antheral who lived crossed the hallway from him successful a Galveston rooming location wherever Mr. Durst was posing arsenic a mute woman.

Mr. Durst claimed self-defense, and a assemblage acquitted him, contempt his grounds astir sitting successful a excavation of humor portion carving up Mr. Morris’s body.

Ms. Berman, who had been Mr. Durst’s adjacent person for galore years, was recovered dormant successful her location connected the borderline of Beverly Hills connected Christmas Eve successful 2000. After neighbors saw her 2 dogs moving free, the constabulary were called and recovered her backmost doorway open. Ms. Berman had been changeable successful the backmost of the head; determination were nary signs of forced entry, and her purse sat untouched.

“I deliberation she was benignant of successful emotion with Bobby,” Dave Berman said successful an interrogation earlier the sentencing, adding that Ms. Berman had met Mr. Durst erstwhile she was successful journalism schoolhouse successful California. “She had him springiness her distant astatine her wedding. There are much pictures of her hugging Bobby than of her and her husband.”

Even arsenic Mr. Durst was sentenced connected Thursday, the probe of his wife’s disappearance was moving guardant erstwhile again.

Miriam E. Rocah, the territory lawyer successful Westchester County, N.Y., wherever the mates lived successful 1982, announced this twelvemonth that her bureau had reopened the case. Prosecutors are interviewing witnesses and are expected to question a first-degree execution indictment from a expansive assemblage successful the coming week.

Understand the Robert Durst Case

That could beryllium a situation fixed that determination are nary witnesses, weapon, fingerprints oregon a body.

Mr. Durst has acknowledged successful the past that helium was a “bad husband” but has ever insisted helium did not termination his wife. He besides continued to contradict engagement successful Ms. Berman’s death.

After helium was arrested successful New Orleans successful 2015 and charged with Ms. Berman’s murder, Mr. Durst gave a astir three-hour interrogation to a Los Angeles lawman territory attorney, John Lewin. The talkative Mr. Durst is besides connected grounds connected hundreds of situation telephone calls, making not-so-guarded statements that prosecutors utilized against him successful court.

The proceedings began successful March 2020, conscionable earlier the coronavirus pandemic brought beingness crossed America to a halt. When grounds was acceptable to resume successful May, defence lawyers called the 14-month hold the longest adjournment featuring the aforesaid assemblage successful U.S. history.

After weeks of testimony, the assemblage deliberated for astir 7 and a fractional hours earlier uncovering Mr. Durst blameworthy past month. He was not successful the courtroom for the verdict; helium was successful quarantine, officials said, aft being exposed to idiosyncratic who had tested affirmative for the coronavirus.

After the verdict, his wife’s household issued a connection calling for Mr. Durst to beryllium prosecuted successful her disappearance arsenic well. “Kathie,” they wrote, “is inactive waiting for justice.”